Sedation Dentistry and Overall Oral Health

While some patients put off their routine dental cleanings because of inconvenient timing or a busy schedule, there are others who avoid dental care entirely, to their detriment, because of extreme dental phobia. Even events like loose teeth, decay, and pain aren’t even enough to get patients in the door of a dental office because of their anxiety over treatment.

For these patients, sedation dentistry is an essential tool in the fight to preserve your oral health and restore total body wellness.  By offering dental sedation, West Houston Dental can do all of the following:

Help Patients Access Dental Care – In instances where you feel so anxious about dental procedures that you cannot even fathom picking the phone or entering a dental office’s waiting room, sedation is the equalizer that can get you in the door.  With the promise of a worry-free dental office visit, anxious patients can feel comforted knowing that all parts of their visit will be less worrisome. Sedation makes visiting the dental office much more accessible, so you can more easily get the care you need.

Calms Gag Reflex – For other patients, issues like a sensitive gag reflex could be what triggers dental anxiety. Patients with this reflex find it hard to tolerate X-rays and many other parts of their routine dental visits. While sedation can be utilized for more advanced procedures, patients who need sedation to minimize a gag reflex can benefit as well. Sedation makes diagnostic X-ray taking and teeth cleaning far more tolerable for patients who struggle with the discomfort of a strong gag reflex.

Protects Total Body Health – It may not be something that patients think about, but your mouth is not a separate entity from the rest of your body. By neglecting dental care, problems like infections and bacteria can create secondary health issues that affect more than just your smile.  Patients who let their dental conditions go for fear of treatment are setting themselves up for risk of total-body medical issues. Sedation dentistry can therefore be an important part of what keeps you healthy overall, by making dental care less intimidating.

Discuss Your Anxieties and Options with our Dental Office

The first step in combating dental anxiety is speaking to our Houston dentist about your fears and concerns, so that we may create a treatment plan that helps to minimize triggers. We can also discuss recommendations for sedation, depending on your anxiety level, dental needs, and the treatment plan we prescribe to care for your smile. We have options available that ensure you feel peaceful and relaxed during your treatment. If you have questions about sedation dentistry, we encourage you to call our office to see what we can in helping to protect your health and to make dentistry a more welcoming process.